Grace Neutral Explores Korea's Illegal Beauty Scene [FULL FILM]

I'm grace neutral a tattoo artist and activist I don't know if they're more freaked out by my tattoos or the fact that I'm wearing a barbarian coat in a spa I'm interested in ideas of alternative beauty and pushing our boundaries of positive body image and if you've never when they pop again how do you I will die to me the human body is a beautiful thing in all its forms what Gracie could have looked like if she didn't up face I've traveled to South Korea where amazingly tattooing is illegal I'm going to explore their six billion dollar domestic beauty industry and kpop to influence on Korean beauty ideals so we're here in Myeongdong in Seoul which is basically like the epicenter of beauty this is where everyone comes to get their beauty products as you can see is even is crazy the streets are so cool every other shop seems to be a makeup shop Korea has one of the world's fastest-growing and technically advanced beauty industries South Korean women spend more than twice as much of their income on makeup and beauty products than American women while men spend more on beauty products than anyone else in the world skincare and beauty products advertising is everywhere with k-pop stars and key soaps pushing the latest cosmetic trends there's an unparalleled emphasis in Korean society on looking good and having perfect skin young South Koreans and increasingly China's beauty tourists flock to this area lured by skincare and makeup products dubbed k-beauty you can hear just for fashion or do you come here to buy makeup the skin products everything like how long every day do you spend doing makeup hour a two hours a day you hear Koreans have one of the most extensive skin care regimes in the world piling on between 10 and 18 products a day it's pretty mental right now I've never seen crowds like this just come from beauty Korean products promised a perfect skin is fast becoming the most exported and desired around the world just from chatting to people it's not just South Koreans that come here for beauty they just met a couple of Chinese girls they said to me that it's one of the best places to come and the best products are here so I'm coming here to meet up with a girl called all Yana basically she is a girl that kind of epitomizes everything to do with mainstream beauty in South Korea today and hoping she can give me a bit of an insight on her life and the things that she does in the routine that she has been in beauty hello nice to meet you how are you I'm fine how are you good thank you and look at your eye yeah well I have a photo when your eyes they're very beautiful too yes where did you have done I had it done at home where I live in London in London is it common in your country no it's not common anywhere really I think maybe less than a hundred people have it in the world oh yeah so only on oh where are you taking me now we are going to moon each on moonshot again okay what's my ensuring that I mean charlie is makeup for uh-huh and we are gonna have makeup over oh cool we're gonna make a yeah the influence of kpop and young people in South Korea cannot be overestimated and major k-pop label YG Entertainment and taking advantage of that they developed their own line of cosmetics to sell in their store in central Seoul moonshot beauty products were a natural item for Korean stars to promote on kdramas surgery is often part of the plot we honor yes what kind of liquor you're gonna go for today heavy maple yeah yeah so like a typical kpop just yeah nice with your parents how do they feel when you started wearing makeup you want to get a hard chunk up there I don't know hello Shamar give undertow cotton yarn you're casting up to the heart on a mark Brahma make all the typhoon there it's hard to describe you forget what onion on the became Zoi Baker Parliament ah it was memorable walk while pondering it because we've okay how about paniolo well I usually wear this much like heavy dark eye makeup cuz I think my eyes are pretty intense anyway but no it looks really good the kpop star look is it's not bad well Jana offered to take me to Seoul's 24-hour 7-story mega spa to show me that beauty isn't just about makeup but a big part of Korean lifestyle for young people like her you saw with Liana we're going to go and check out the pool Susy if I wanted something I'm pretty nervous right now one of the ladies who guided us in here to the changing rooms asked me if I could change in a private room because a fear of everyone being offended my tattoos she asked me to keep my coat on and yeah are you getting a bit of a weird reception this is so weird I don't know if they're more eked out my my tattoos on the fact that I'm wearing a barbarian coat in a spa this is nice I found out that more than 60% of young women in their 20s have had cosmetic surgery here I wanted to find out how IANA felt about the issue do you think that girls the South Korea getting plastic surgery to yard or painful paja I give them names crossing over honey goodbye you- until for me personally a lot of the procedures that gals over here get when i very young is pretty extreme purely because of the age that they are how's our little horrible Dunham's with yourself but then tiles will harvest google local audience I have done no stop my email shape world was not straight okay anything it I got lost every since I put on my fat from my leg to be my face today just everywhere everywhere for a hot chick and what differences did you feel were the biggest in your appearance changing I have no fat on my face so I look prettier with these girls and guys who are young do you think it's the pressures of society telling them that they should look a certain way how we're going on you I do not know don't ever compare Tommy Cesaro they got to come to the beneath start over Tommy Owens law they didn't want it Tommy okay she's been really open with me about everything she's been through that this whole kind of sense that kpop has such a huge influence on the way young girls look I think it's great to idolize people who admire but for me for 18 year old girls to start getting Botox just because they feel like they have to fit into this kpop ideal almost kind of made me feel a bit uncomfortable one thing that I noticed here that's really weird is that there's just a big room of people yeah and they just they're asleep on the floor like randomly yes that is like their parents are sleeping in the kitchen like playing around they sleep here all night and I used to sleep here every weekend with my friends tell me like your beauty regime how would you feel if someone took that away from you and told you that you could never have cosmetic surgery again and you can never wear makeup again how would you feel time we right here this is a pretty bizarre place if I'm honest I've never been to a spa before there's open 24 hours I've never been to a squaw that has like an arcade I'm used to going to spas old being and and maybe people looking at me funny because I'm quite to this extreme you can tell that just not impressed by me and I definitely think it's got to be the tattoos and the stigma around her - a few years ago wouldn't even been let in a place like this like I would be completely ban it's clear that all jana reflects South Korea's mainstream beauty culture while I'm an easy that this billion-dollar business puts huge pressure on young girls to look perfect it's easy to see why so many are influenced especially when kpop idols themselves are having to conform to the very narrow beauty ideals I know young women in the West are facing a lot of the same pressures although in South Korea it's socially acceptable for teenagers to have cosmetic surgery it is illegal to be a tattoo artist I'm fascinated to understand how younger generations are challenging traditional views of beauty the government estimate there are more than 20,000 tattooists working in illegal tattoo studios I'm on my way to meet South Korean artist at parolee at his illegal tattoo studio I followed his career now for a few years and he's been telling me all about his underground shop and how secretive he has to be period I've never been somewhere before where the art form that I practice on a daily basis is actually illegal so it's gonna be really interesting to find out more about the whole scene here tell me about your studio how long we had this place just about two years now as you know we don't really have tattoo culture or tattoo history ten years ago I couldn't buy any tattoo stuff I didn't know how to buy real to buy in Korea it's illegal to tattoo without dr. license but who's it going to be a tattooer when they have a doctor license yeah totally a good ridiculous right the government over here is dismissing this whole creative part of the process and that's kind of insulting my artwork my trade I saying that you can't do it but a doctor can what generally is the attitude towards you from the public go or Andina light mocha dilation plunderin tattoo han saram for madhava ten saravanan meenatchi mo túrin turambar pomian King Johnny Angeles on arrow magic to pokeweed KU y harem de depandi c na haji ali confront so I don't really use any public transport here I use only taxi or my car you have a really beautiful collection of tattoos on your body but one of my favorites is the noose Lizzy around your neck tattoo East is not a job in South Korea and I'm doing it illegal so I'm a criminal here right so this is the meaning I loved it so much at Pearl thank you yeah I've got my little magpie from at 400 a little time high right now feel so good leaving at for a studio I couldn't imagine being forced underground or censored for my beauty choices it feels like mainstream culture makes young people feel uncomfortable if the beauty ideals they express don't fit in with the traditional standards of beauty operas have this amazing idea that we're going to go to this little photo shop people get their photos taken for passports job applications for the one thing they do here is they actually edit your face so we're gonna go into one now and see if they can make the both of us look like normal upstanding citizens I just had my photo taken just like you would when you're at a school you know for the yearbook picture and he's photoshopping it and making me look normal taking away all my tattoos on my scars gonna change my eyes back to normal as I was in I was whilst we were there an older customer arrived who had some strong opinions to share about my look in them at all you Bridget wanna haul around usually not my idea great challenge uncle Dhiru he Samsung Group tickler what okay Kevin be myself as Eliza hey kid I'm Rosalyn told out Archie we're cousins wendy is our moment or what hey you in there emoji develop a a brown or people generally to come out hey hey you're like yeah I love it it's so weird it's really hard for me to look at my face what's wrong uh what yes since Wednesday I'll it's so bizarre what Gracie could have looked like if she didn't her face being confronted with South Korea's feminine beauty ideals gave me some insight into the pressure young people here under to conform I asked a pro if there was anywhere that young people like him felt comfortable being themselves he suggested a cop called mystic so we made our way across the city this is the other side of Seoul it felt amazing to see people with radically different looks to use your kpop style people were enjoying themselves in their own skin you're covered in tattoos right / yeah what does your parents drink when you got to do they hate me hey you're my soul you're not my son you're not my son what do that why'd you do that like that yeah I'm so sad they said - so so your mother was she reacts act yeah and they're crying she's crying our dad dad he never spoke to me five years dad hasn't spoken - yeah just because of tattoos tattoo in my hair my dear you don't like me yeah that's right mystic was full of young people with their own ideas of style and beauty and it opened my eyes to the underground tattoo scene in Seoul these people embody youth rebellion and tattooing is a big symbol of that they represent subculture the new generation flying the flag for alternative beauty by forming a scene and a community where they can be themselves despite Korean society's rejection of alternative beauty I met a girl called solji i was immediately transfixed by her she's covered in tattoos I wanted to find out more this is Fuji I just met hi as in the club and she has the most incredible collection of tattoos that I've seen just have to use our beautiful would your parents think about all these tattoos or actually they don't know about my tattoos how do you hide all of this I always like trying to cover my tattoos and always wearing my long sleeves and pants to cover my tattoos I they scared that you might not be able to get a job or something like that because that was my mom's fear when I was here yeah sure sure yeah ups and friends and you know like everything I have my plans to tell them but I am Not sure like when it's gonna be I was shocked that solji had been able to keep all of her tattoos a secret from her parents but I wasn't surprised she felt she had to do this considering the attitude towards body art in South Korea the next morning I got a call from solji she decided she wanted to tell her parents about her tattoos and wanted me to come home with her for moral support okay me and solji are going to go meet her parents and do the big reveal we're heading to Gyeongju yeah I'm pretty nervous I'm not gonna lie I think I feel like I'm 14 again and I were really my first tattoos in my mind yes when we interesting I'm excited in Korea's breaks many people think to choose a bad thing still but together why that is oh maybe because they think it start it started from gang member like the origin of origin of tattoos was a gang like sort of thing black bad things so if they saw you in the summertime wearing a short top do you think a lot of the older generation would judge you for that like when I was in the subway in last minute I think maybe it's last year in summertime and for an old lady just suddenly yelled at me and just saying that her bad words about me yeah how did that make you feel it hurts because yeah you know respect is Versailles for me to say this but I'm getting used to it Sam be nervous about meeting your parents I'm a little nervous yeah I'm a little bit nervous as well you know being with soul-g took me back to when I first told my parents about my tattoos I had no idea how they were going to react but who you were worried about him I'm worried about my bad a bar is only to order served a leader Prakash double Sunday where your hero during your Crohn's disease in Toby's idea do yoga just to go up to meet solji's parents um I feel feel sick but I'm gonna lie I'm really really nervous I don't know the fact that I'm here as well is gonna make it worse so yeah I do I do feel a little bit stressed right now I'm just also worried I don't want to make it any worse for soul-g as nervous as I am though um I am really glad that we're doing this because I think it's really important to break down these stigmas and boundaries and open up the minds of people as much as we can and soul-g wants to pursue a career in tattooing you know and she wants to obtain a good relationship with her family so if we can kind of break down this stigma around tattooing by starting here today I think that's great cuz that's why I'm here basically how are you why are you no thank you she's good on yeah you know holding onto held it's an honor gospel Creole motio the tranquila Tracy subtle clear killer Sunseri open D wolf Totten singing game in this hottinger bundle protocol good he decreed wanna meet Touhou a prudent or handsome of akwonton diesel promoters Pandaren honey would evil siding in yoga no hunger I had pretty much wasn't a big family above our own Watson crunch I'm Angela young girl Nina she's under / digging woman got hall Tommy Chico I am drunk right Oh Congolese about is how does there is a way to learn chris'll couldn't angular and get on get parabola a table how about you smooth Acapulco boy you're alright you're hungry inverted you're cool but Spanish and Patrick undercooked arrow what ticket i na na don't re Dante Cronin sorry - number - Shifu Manny Hernandez sons are Tina mo nice angle right didn't pass me my app like Richelieu to chase so San Giovanni on Oh tell me Anita TV news away kisara my Maneki Chippewa team and a moo-moo me or dinga a blue slip that white the ha Myung Couric Rosa has undergone a button cool down and up on Iran Inga I need a cannula coral dollar extra sweatin mccrory crisis metro to go to a Hannah Holika yellow go somewhere I'll give you people dress up other publishes on the podium came together party a lot of things hit home move experiences that I've been doing growing up in in a place where not necessarily everyone accepts you so I think the bit that just got me was after she showed up her into the picture I could just see her mom just all these thoughts running through her head so I was worried that there was gonna be this big kind of kick-off moment but the fact that they both just asked that asked any question or any kind of normal loving caring parents would ask and we heard they they really are like pioneers for the older generation in South Korea of being open-minded towards the new generation I'm really proud that sold means well I feel really good about it I just need a minute just to kind of think about everything I found Saudis journey very emotional but it was a great experience to be part of it was obvious that Saudis parents just want what's best for her it really felt like by then choosing to accept her body art it's brought them all closer together I took it as a positive sign the prejudice against non-mainstream body image can and is changing as I headed back to Seoul I thought about something I've been hearing since I arrived and again heard from solji's parents people still associate tattoos with gangsters I had to find out more I've been in touch with the tattoo artist called Hernan who said he can introduce me to a gang member at his studio I'm a little nervous as I don't know what to expect so this is your friend mr. Kim yes nice to meet you so there seems to be this stigma around tattooing and having tattoos in South Korea being attached to gang members and criminals can you explain to me is that true hanwen Omo kadachan idea more sorry man opponent corollary co-winner pooja mental your total coordinate relational your total emission of humans or animal kingdom go to our doctor to see Mela you don't you try hard I'm gonna ask you a really blunt question are you in a gang gang unit yes what do you do that is that makes you a gangster you chain Meralco you choking on a hibachi garage Oh Cassandra Cass offensive eligible capital rotunda they punch around the moon haha Toro another say hello nacho so the rules that you've established within the gang that's the law that you abide by rather than the government's laws Jochen Chand Anthony said a goddamn dirty ghetto Veda he's our veteran Jimmy's our own Shinji quarter dun-da-da-da yards inland young when you say do you know armory of shear crews are working under God scientia jean-guy gonna you know subsequently on condo cousins Hollinger Torah is called orphanage so does everyone in your gang have a tattoo Pena Nieto donor commercial donor when she Halloween Alex prefer the rest of South Korea might think tattoos and gangs are related is true because only one person out of your home gang doesn't have tattoos you know meeting Mr Kim helped me understand that if they're still an association between tattoos and gang members gangsters and not the ones flaunting it over the last few years attitudes towards tattoos have been shifting particularly amongst the younger generation a massive 90% of young South Koreans identify as k-pop fans maybe the popularity of music stars and celebrities publicly parading their tattoos has something to do with the ship jay Park is one of k-pops biggest stars with over 1.2 million followers on Twitter and Instagram he's a massive pop sensation in South Korea and well known for having extensive tattoos I'm on my way to meet him near his studio in Gangnam Seoul what I hear you like the Justin Bieber of South Korea so one thing I have noticed in South Korea is the fact that the cosmetics industry is huge and plastic surgery is commonplace even just younger people like people who are in high school and almost as young as middle school they get cosmetic surgery mm-hmm yeah this is what I've had I've had the young girls get nose jobs or double eyelid surgery as a present from their parents when they graduate yes like that Botox or you get fat injections in your eyelids or whatever whatever that's just very very common did you find that getting tattoos and being in the public eye in South Korea did that have an impact on your fan base at all or oh yeah it really did um well first off my family really dislikes it my parents really just liked it and also my own fans would bash me because you know way before tattoos were always associated with the Mafia or whatever I mean you can't see it on TV it because they blur it out oh really yeah so if you if they did a performance of you on the TV and you were wearing like a vest they blur out your arm but they wouldn't even let me you know I'd have to wear like gloves and like a long sleeve although there is still some way to go for full acceptance stars like jay Park have a big influence on changing the attitudes towards tattooing in South Korea this is giving younger generations the confidence to explore alternative ideas of beauty it's my final day in Seoul and I have headed to a small tattoo studio run by a female tattoo artist called EDA she's expecting a young lady who wants to get her first tattoo I love being able to be part of someone's first experience with tattooing so I'm pretty elated right now I'm in her mom and dad are outside and I sisters here so it's gonna be a nice family day can i tasting this dinner and I'm just a twin harsh person I was under chicken division of hunger for men no woody today did I open it up we have another option or chilled in a window post again Dominica not lately I have regional government give away any other wild man and animal moves recovered focus to another fit though Felicia location engrossing well done babe Noah Gannon yoshino don't booty g-man Teague moon has a dream in time either first reaches remember more wishing I was against abortion girl Superboy so good night so he has just had her first tattoo done which is very exciting but the even more exciting thing about is is her dad is actually going to get a tattoo as well and from talking to the guys at the front this is the sort of thing that would make the local news so this is pretty big deal right now and back in the day you could use your job and I just really respect him and love the fact that he's still young and a rebel at heart and doesn't really give a about what South Korean site you would think of him with a tattoo his best after this one if he is happy for gift to tattoo next well he may come again starting a to revolution for the older generation yes he's brave it was quite amazing to see the dad finally get his first tattoo 30 years after he initially wanted one it showed how much things are changing in South Korea for my final evening in the city I wanted to meet up with tattoo artist at pro again and share my thoughts on the experiences I've had here before I came to Tucson the research that I did all I really got from online and reading and looking at the news is that there's a booming plastic surgery industry here and it's all about plastic surgery and cosmetics and it was really refreshing coming here and actually seeing how many young people inside are actually open minded and these younger generations are kind of breaking down barriers with it one of the generation is wrong well I find really beautiful ways the fact that a lot of the older generation seem to be embracing the younger generations culture change and I find that really inspiring for singing this is a like is all about culture and a really natural like a raining so no one can stop the raining so we have to keep fighting and then we will survive oh I really hope that you continue to push boomers with with your art and your passion and click right in because I know you will and you're really brave thank you so much I've traveled South Korea where amazingly tattooing is illegal I'm going to explore their six billion dollar domestic beauty industry and k-pops influence on Korean beauty ideals so we're here in Myeongdong in Seoul which is basically like the epicenter of beauty

Channel: i-D

Views: 2,182,079

Rating: 4.8955264 out of 5

Keywords: Fashion, style, i-D, i-D Magazine, Model, Super Model, Alexander McQueen, Alexander Wang, Anna Wintour, Balenciaga, Cara Delevingne, Chanel, Christian Dior, Grace Coddington, Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Moss, Louis Vuitton, Miranda Kerr, Fashion Week, Tom Ford, Cool

Id: JYfJfCeQ8As

Length: 35min 30sec (2130 seconds)

Published: Thu May 26 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/dopef123]

'It makes me really uncomfortable that all these young Korean women are getting plastic surgery on their faces.'

'I had my eyes injected with ink by some dude. Some people go blind from doing it. There are maybe 100x of us.'

So weird she is obsessed with 'alternative' beauty and scarification and all that, but plastic surgery makes her uncomfortable. I wonder if she realizes how bizarre that is. Not everyone wants to get stared at wherever they go by injecting ink in their eyes or getting face tattoos. Seems crazier to want that sort of attention.

[u/devilabit]

What a trip, it’s only impacting for me when she lands over with the girl breaking the news to her parents she has tattoos and the mum break down..

Really it wasn’t much of a watch until then, she absolutely struck gold there. South Korea is this super modern country with parts of it stuck in the past.

I don’t have any tattoos, where I’m from everyone has them, but if i lived there, I’d have them!